WATCH: IDOT worker rescues 2 women from burning car on Kennedy expressway
CHICAGO — An IDOT worker rescued two women from a burning car on the Kennedy Expressway overnight.
ISP responded to a single vehicle vs wall crash near I-90 southbound near Addison Street around 2 a.m. A Toyota Camry struck the left concrete median, spun out and came in the second lane where it caught fire.
An 18 and 19-year-old woman were transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
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IDOT minuteman Steve Newcomb was on patrol when he saw several cars pulled over on the side expressway and decided to turn around and find out why. He noticed a car that was smashed up and ended up in flames.
WGN photographer Tremaine Williams was on his way into work around 2 a.m. when he caught the footage on camera.
Newcomb got out of his truck and saw two women moving in the car, one of them was screaming for help.
Newcomb pulled one of them out and went back for the other. The 22-year IDOT veteran told WGN News one of the girls was not responsive.
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“I felt bad but she was in pain. I grabbed her and brought her to my shoulders as gently as I could. The one in the passenger seat was not at first but I pounded on the window and got her to unlock the window to get her out,” Newcomb said.
In all of his years with IDOT, Newcomb said this was the first time he had to pull people out of a burning car.
“I don’t know what would have happened with a couple more minutes in that smoke,” Newcomb said.
WGN News reached out to the Illinois State Police for more background on the incident. The condition of the women is currently unknown.
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